NUS MBA Ranked Among Top 25 Globally



The National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School's Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme has continued its strong performance in the closely-watched Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2012, retaining its place at 23rd for the second year running. This is the highest ranking attained by a Singaporean university.

The School did particularly well in several categories. Post-MBA salaries of graduates increased by 185% over pre-MBA salaries, demonstrating the significant impact of the NUS MBA.

The School also retained its place at 9th in the world for its graduates' international mobility, reflecting the broad international demand from employers for NUS MBA graduates.

"We are greatly encouraged to be consistently ranked among the best in the world in multiple rankings. These rankings are a recognition that the NUS Business School continues to meet the needs of our students and employers, while providing a rigorous education. We shall continue to strive to be a business school that produces impactful ideas, graduates who are well-received, and all-rounded business leaders with an understanding and appreciation of Asia. We are also pleased to be in the company of two Chinese and two Indian business schools, also ranked among the top 25 in the world. This shows that Asia’s economic dynamism is being followed by the emergence of top business schools," said Professor Bernard Yeung, Dean and Stephen Riady Distinguished Professor of NUS Business School.

In addition to the strong showing of the NUS MBA in the rankings, the School's Executive MBA programmes have also fared well, with its Asia-Pacific EMBA ranked 19th and its double degree with the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) at 9th place in EMBA rankings by FT in October 2011. The School also achieved best in Singapore or region rankings in the Forbes (two-year MBA programmes), Princeton Review, Quacquarelli Symonds TopMBA International Recruiters', and Eduniversal rankings.

Associate Professor Susanna Leong, Vice-Dean of Graduate Studies said: "The FT rankings are an important benchmark for MBA programmes and we are heartened that we retained our best showing in the global rankings. This comes after two of our Executive MBA programmes were ranked highly by FT in 2011, confirming that NUS Business School’s MBA and EMBA programmes are among Asia's most highly-rated programmes."

"This accolade affirms what we have known for a long time, that the NUS MBA is of world-class standard. Our graduates have benefited tremendously, not only academically and professionally, but also in terms of bonds forged during the programme. For many of us, the programme opened our minds to new ideas, new horizons, and the ability to take up new challenges at work," added Dr Michael Teng, President of MBA Alumni-NUS.

The FT MBA ranking is based on data compiled from two main sources: surveys on business schools, and alumni who graduated three years ago.

More details of the FT Global MBA Rankings can be found at http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/rankings

Current NUS MBA students



Intensity 10

It was the day after new year
When the school came alive
(Although some of us were groggy
From flights that just arrived).
We were to complete 2 courses
In a period of 6 days
We didn’t feel, though, that these
Were all done in haste.


The first class was on leadership
Where we did some role-play,
Which taught us how to act as leaders -
What to do and what to say.
Then we were treated to coffee
During the discussion on Schultz,
And were entertained by a panel
When we talked about Burtz.
We also learned of Indian leaders
Like Dr. V., Ambani and Tata,
And we also touched on the leadership
Of Ghosn and Mandela.

The second class was on management
Where we had a lot of fun,
We learned of new ways
On how things are done.
We had several short games
Which served as warm-ups;
We built short and long bridges
Made of paper, tape and cups;
We learned a new culture
During the bafa bafa game;
We played to regain power
While building a lego plane;
We scored high with our card deck
When we avoided the joker;
We got beaten by kindergarteners
In our attempt to build a tower.


Intensive week was indeed
An intensity ten,
But if I had the choice
I would do it again.

Charisse Rossielin Cruz (Filipino)
Full-Time MBA student, Class of 2013

Change: Closing a Chapter and Going back to Student Life

Background: On my flight back to New Delhi from Singapore, I begin reflecting on my just completed first semester at NUS.

Not very long back I had been part of the arduous process of preparing for exams, short-listing b-schools, filling applications and writing those ‘why MBA?’ essays. Though I was through with most of the MBA admission interviews, and had even been accepted in some of the schools that I had applied to, I particularly remember the uncharacteristically laidback afternoon in early April in office. This was the day I got an email with the subject — “Congratulations! You have been given an admission offer for NUS MBA (August 2011 intake)”. Unable to react, I glanced nervously around my workstation and then stared hard at the computer screen—a bit overwhelmed and too confused to open the mail. Asian b-schools were the focus area of my first year of application, and NUS was the top school (in terms of strategic fit) to which I had applied.

Well, I did finally open the mail, and it slowly sank in that I had made it to the prestigious NUS MBA program! Along with the happiness of getting admitted to NUS and the excitement of living in the vibrant Singapore, a sense of loss and nostalgia also crept in. The familiar office where I was sitting, the colleagues who were congratulating me on my admission and the cheerful cook at home would slowly drift away into a fondly remembered part of my past. Many of the contacts on my cell phone would become alpha-numeric links to fading faces. This awkward mix of feelings brought with it an element of anxiety.

I had spent a little over 8 years in New Delhi prior to joining the NUS B-school. Starting afresh in a foreign land meant packing the essentials of my current life in a few suitcases and heading towards another life. My experience of working with (and leading) a diversity of global teams notwithstanding, I knew quite well that this move was an important 'change'. It was certainly exciting to hop on to the global bandwagon of expatriates, but it required a well-thought out plan. I needed to embrace the move as a new and exciting opportunity. Only a positive attitude towards change would enable me to make my stay in a new country a comfortable and fruitful experience. I was once again going back to school and leading a ‘student life’: this was the most important change I had to adjust to.

The friendly and helpful staff at the MBA office and the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), and the wonderful people whom I met at the U-Town residential campus ensured that the first few days went well. The hectic MBA schedule and wonderful friends I made took care of the next four and a half months of the first semester.

My transition from manager to ‘student’ came with interesting sets of similarities or continuities: my professors replaced my bosses at office; project submissions and group reports replaced client deliverables; quizzes and exams replaced handling difficult client calls and ‘project-related fires’; and exam results replaced client feedback and appraisal results. But this transition also meant forgoing and forgetting a few things: the famous food-joints of Delhi, my friends from work, and the carefree—almost careless—lifestyle. I now had to learn to control expenses as a student (which becomes a bit difficult after one gets used to earning and spending somewhat unwisely). Surprisingly, of all things, I even missed the notoriously unpredictable Delhi weather!

During one of our mid-class breaks, I remember Professor Ravi Jain telling Gaurav and me, “Enjoy your days of student life, for most of you this is going to be the last academic endeavour and then begins a long period of corporate life.” As I look back at the various lectures, career talks, and networking sessions of last semester, the long nights I spent writing up reports and preparing presentations, the seemingly long walks to Archies, and the frequently frivolous yet extremely interesting discussions with friends in U-Town, I can say one thing: the first semester at NUS was anything but boring!

Devmanyu Singh (Indian)

Full-Time MBA student, Class of 2013

For the Love of Language

The NUS MBA has rightly been described as a melting pot of cultures. In my first semester, I had the chance to meet and work on assignments with students from South Korea, Japan, Pakistan, Taiwan, Malaysia, China, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, among others. Attending such an engaging program amidst such a plethora of cultural diversity gives one an opportunity to realise and appreciate the nuances and beauty of different cultures.

To further leverage this cultural diversity, an MBA student initiated an extremely fascinating program, named, “The Mandarin Initiative”. Ma Dongye, a full time MBA student from China had previously worked in an NGO that focused on inter-cultural communication between China and the rest of the world and had arranged Mandarin teaching trainings for Chinese teachers. After joining the NUS MBA, Dongye realised that there was a lot of interest in Mandarin among the non-Chinese students. Many students also felt that learning Mandarin would help them in securing better jobs and would open up more lucrative opportunities for them.

The growing interest and fascination for Mandarin, coupled with his pre-MBA experience in the cultural NGO, led Dongye to form the Mandarin Initiative. This initiative gave a unique opportunity to non-Chinese students to learn Mandarin from their Chinese counterparts. The key focus of this program is not merely to learn the language, but also to understand and appreciate the richness of the Chinese culture.

Needless to say, this opportunity was widely embraced by the cohort. Currently there are 20 students from 12 countries who are taught by 6 Teachers and 7 Teaching Assistants. These students managed to make time for the Mandarin Initiative in spite of a very demanding first semester and attended two sessions a week, each of a one hour duration. “It is so amazing to hear students speak in Mandarin on varied topics in an international accent and a proud mood!” says Dongye.

The Mandarin Initiative is, in fact, a part of the newly constituted Language and Culture Club under the aegis of the NUS MBA Students’ Council. Future plans of this club include widening of the ambit to teach Japanese, providing more language training within the community and organising workshops on culture and management to complement the academic courses. As Dongye says, “Our aim is for students to learn beyond the language-language is in fact a tool and mastery of the cultures and values is essential”.

Shaili Pandia (Indian)

Full Time MBA student, Class of 2013

My winter vacation - Trip to Surabaya

December is the winter vacations for NUS MBA students. Most of them go back to their home countries while some students stay in Singapore for their internship. For me, I traveled around three Southeast Asia countries - Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Indonesia (Jakarta and Surabaya) and Philippines (Manila).

I really enjoyed every one of my trips. However, of  all the trips, Surabaya (Indonesia's second-largest city) was the most memorable one. Melinda, my classmate from the same intake, comes from Surabaya. She kindly showed me around her hometown during my stay.

I took a lot of pictures there and will show you some of them.

Meeting me at the airport

Hotel Majapahit Surabaya

 

Dinner at an Indonesian restaurant

 

Dessert Stall

 

Chinatown and Jembatan Merah

 

House of Smpoerna

 

Lunch at an Indonesian restaurant

Shopping

High Tea

Sending me off at the airport

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Melinda. I really appreciate everything she did for me during my stay at Surabaya. Although my MBA life at NUS has just passed one semester, I definitely believe that this trip will become one of the most unforgettable events even after I graduate from NUS. Thanks to her :)

Fumiyuki Kosugi (Japanese)
Full-Time MBA Student, Class of 2013